1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments of the invention relate to a solid state power source, and more particularly, for example, to a solid state power source with frames for attachment to an electronic circuit. Although embodiments of the invention are suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for powering an electronic circuit in an implant device in which both the solid state power source and the electronic circuit are hermetically sealed in an enclosure.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, a conventional type of solid state power source includes a metallic battery encasement surrounding the bare structure of an electrochemical cell. The metallic battery encasement can include top and bottom metal shells, which are insulated from one another. The sides of the electrochemical cell are each respectively contacted by one of the top and bottom metal shells. An electrochemical cell can be a component having a positive cathode on one side, a negative anode on the other side, and an electrolyte between the cathode and anode. Solid state power sources with such a structure are often referred to as either coin or button cells.
The conventional attachment architectures for conventional types of solid state power devices typically have some sort of compression contact mechanism and a battery holder mounted on the electronic circuitry for retaining and contacting the coin or button cell to electronic circuitry. However, such a battery holder with the button or coin cell fixated into a metal spring clip in turn consumes premium volume/space. That is, the volume of a conventional implementation of a component containing an electrochemical cell, including the battery holder, the external compression contact mechanism, and the metallic battery encasement, can be twice or three times as much as the volume of the bare structure of an electrochemical cell.
Solid state power sources that are hermetically sealed into a housing of an electronic device, for example, facilitate the advancements in miniaturization of the implantable medical devices. It is desirable to reduce the device size so that the overall circuitry can be more compact. Moreover, the miniaturization of implantable medical devices is driving size and cost reduction of all implantable medical devices components including the electronic circuitry.
Conventional techniques that lead to successful miniaturization of implantable enclosures included: a) minimizing the electronic circuitry of the sensor(s), monitors(s) and/or actuator(s); b.) minimizing the power source(s); and/or c) minimizing the attachment architecture of the power source(s) to the electronic circuitry. A power source having conventional attachment architectures along with the metallic battery encasement can take up the largest part of implantable enclosures. Of course, the volume of the power source is most useful in a component containing an electrochemical cell. However, the use of premium volume/space on spring clips as well as other auxiliary battery holder/encasement materials can be unacceptable, up to the point where an implantable enclosure with a specific type of electronic circuitry may not make sense with regard to particular applications (e.g. medical), such as those with severe space or size limitations.